I bake at 450 for 25 mins and i would like the middle of my deep dish to cook longer however my bottom crust has been burning. It's not the 1st or 2nd rack from the bottom that's causing this as I have had a few perfect pies so it's either the amount of oil in the bottom of the pan or the thickness perhaps? Any suggestions?

I bake at 450 for 25 mins and i would like the middle of my deep dish to cook longer however my bottom crust has been burning. I've ruled out cooking on the bottom vs 2nd bottom rack in my oven so it's either the quantity of oil in the bottom of the pan or the thickness perhaps? Any suggestions?

A few questions so we can figure out a few variables:Are you using a gas or electric oven?What kind of pan are you using?What size pizza are you baking?Is your oven thermometer accurate?How much oil are you using in your pan?Are you baking on a stone?

Suggestion: Try baking it on a higher rack and cover the top of your pizza with a loose sheet of aluminum foil while baking to keep the top from burning.

A few questions so we can figure out a few variables:Are you using a gas or electric oven?What kind of pan are you using?What size pizza are you baking?Is your oven thermometer accurate?How much oil are you using in your pan?Are you baking on a stone?

Suggestion: Try baking it on a higher rack and cover the top of your pizza with a loose sheet of aluminum foil while baking to keep the top from burning.

I don't recommend using olive oil to grease the bottom of your pan, especially if it is extra virgin. Olive oil has a low smoke point.Try using corn oil or vegetable oil instead (or crisco or lard).I use the "high heat" cooking spray, AKA the stuff they use for bbq grilling.

A 9" pizza doesn't take very long to bake, so you should be in the 20-30 minute range, depending on the rest of your ingredients.

BTW, if the middle needs more time, how about turning off the oven and letting it sit in there for a while longer? Or turn the oven down to 400 after the first 15 minutes and let it go longer that way. I sometimes want to give my deep dish longer time to bake, and 450 is unnecessary at that point. It's a casserole, baby!

Yes I own a stone. The top/center of the pizza is warm/hot but I want that sucker bubble/steaming when I pull it out of the oven. I'm shying away from the stone because I would think that would cook the bottom too fast. This recipe that I modified is 99% spot on to malnatis so I don't want to mess with the baking procedure more than I have to.

Turning down the temp may help a little as long as it doesn't dry out the top edge.

BTW, if the middle needs more time, how about turning off the oven and letting it sit in there for a while longer? Or turn the oven down to 400 after the first 15 minutes and let it go longer that way. I sometimes want to give my deep dish longer time to bake, and 450 is unnecessary at that point. It's a casserole, baby!

Garvey's right-on about everything except the part where he called it casserole. ( them's fightin' words! )Start with high heat for the first few minutes to get the crust to do it's thing, then turn the oven down a bit to let the rest of the pizza cook through. I keep posting this recommendation, but I think it's an important one: put a loose sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil over the top of your pizza pan for a majority of your baking time to prevent burning (especially if you have pepperoni on top).

Pythonic: good idea to use the stone. You said earlier that you were worried that the stone would cook the crust too quickly, but it actually has a more regulating effect. It cooks more evenly and shields the pan from the blast of heat from below as the oven comes on to keep it at the desired temp. (I've never needed to do the foil trick, but I'm sure it would work.)

VCB: haha, yes, the c-word... It is lovingly applied in this case. I have been working on "reclaiming" that word as our own, for those of us who know and appreciate deep dish (just as other subcultures have done with other slurs aimed at them). Outsiders are not allowed to use it. When a New Yorker sneers at our pizza with the c-word, that is bad. When I use it, it is good. ;-)

is there any chance you're getting (a lot of) radiation from the burner/flame to the bottom of your pan? you might try shielding your pizza pan by putting a cookie sheet or aluminium foil on a rack below the rack with yoru pie.

EDIT: i see that garvey mentioned the stone, which would have the same effect (although a stone will get hotter than oven air if the radiation is substantial)